A Rip in the Rapportal
by Stohne Rohse
Summary: Everything is peaceful in the Glade of Dreams...at least until a certain someone was practically snatched from his sleeping spot and thrown into who knows where. When Rayman finds himself in a demonic and unfriendly place, he must find his way back home while evading nine gruesome beasts that are hunting him down. Rated M for violence. (DISCLAIMER IN FIRST CHAPTER)
1. The Glade 'o Dreams

**I, Stohne Rohse, pledge that in no way am I claiming ownership, nor that I created the characters BETILLA, RAYMAN, GLOBOX, TEENSIES, BARAMOS, MORTAMOR, DHOULMAGUS, ZOMA, ORGODEMIR, MALROTH, PSARO, ESTARK, NIMZO in this story. I will never attempt to claim any monetary value nor financial gain from this story. My purpose for these stories is for writing practice in a peer-reviewed environment and for the enjoyment of the fans and users of this site only.**

_"Time will pass. Things will change. The leaves will grow...and later they will fall. The Sun will rise, and later it will set. As_ _long as there is doubt, faith cannot persevere_. _In this world, there needs to be pure hearts to keep our faith alive. I, Betilla, and the four other Nymphs were created to do just that. Our job is to keep light alive and stave darkness out of the hearts of those who are pure. We must keep the flames of hope burning. It's radiance is the only thing keeping the nightmares out of our minds. Each and every one of us was born with a purpose. Those who forget that have become succumb to the nightmare. A nightmare that lives within all of us. Those who are unaware this nightmare sleeps within them...are the purest of souls. This must be protected at all costs._"

"And that is why we had to create you, Rayman. When all hope was lost, another pure soul had to rise up and dispel the nightmares that had taken over the glade and its inhabitants." Betilla finished, her eyes shut from the beginning of her story to the end. Once the nymph opened her eyes, what she saw shocked her through and through. "R-Rayman?! Were you asleep the whole time?!" Betilla stuttered, her small fairy wings twitching with distress.

"W-what...?" The limbless being drowsily replied, blinking open his eyes. Betilla didn't reply, but the flustered look on her face told Rayman everything he needed to know. "Uh...no. I-I heard your speech about...light...and...purity...and stuff." Rayman slowly mumbled, searching for something he thought Betilla might tell him during one of her long stories.

"Ugh! Rayman, how could you be so insensitive!" Betilla groaned, fluttering off with her arms crossed.

"Betilla! Wait!" Rayman shouted after her, jumping up off the ground and taking chase, only to quickly fall behind and lose track of her. "I didn't mean...to...gah..." Rayman sighed, slumping back down on the ground.

"Tsk tsk. Ray, ya blew it, man." Burbled a deep voice suddenly next to him.

"Globox, not now." Rayman huffed, laying down on the ground, back up, with his hands folded over each other. The largely dispositional blue frog-like creature only smiled and scrunched down to be eye level with Rayman.

"Heeyyy...c'mon. I'm your pal. Your pally pal...pal," Globox mused, giving a friendly smile. "Lemme guess. You fell asleep during one of Betilla's destiny and hope speeches again."

Rayman shot a glance at the frog, then quickly moved it back onto the ground. "M-maybe..." He mumbled. Globox gave a low chortle in response.

"Ha! You're all down in the Land of the Livid Dead because of that?! Everybody does that, Ray! Even _Polokus_ does!" Globox laughed out, his low, gurgled voice echoing throughout the empty region of the Glade.

"Still. I feel like a huge jerk." Rayman sighed, rolling onto his back, extending his unattached hands outwards.

"Ohhhh, that's just 'cause you're the hero made of sugar and spice that always goes up and over for saving this Glade. Even if you get bubblized a few times." Globox complimented. Rayman gave a slight smile.

"Thanks, Glo. Hey, I'm gonna head up to the Snoring Tree and get some fresh air. If you see Betilla, tell her Ray says sorry, would ya?" Rayman questioned, jumping back up into his feet.

"Oh, yeah. Sure thing, Ray. See ya soon!" Globox shouted, dashing off. Rayman gave a slight smile in response to his friend's enthusiasm. _That's probably because he's gonna make up something and say I have a crush on her. Globox always does stuff like that, even though it's not true._ Said a voice within Rayman's conscience.

Rayman always knew that he didn't have a crush on any of the Nymphs. _Everyone else in the Glade probably did, though. Not me. It would be kinda awkward considering they were the ones who created me. Oh well. They can think what they like_. Rayman quickly pushed the matter to the back of his mind before taking off into a steady sprint towards the colossal tree where Bubble Dreamer, Globox, the Teensies, and himself made their home. Once he made it to the base, he took several glances towards the branches and the entrance that everyone else took. It didn't take Ray long to decide what he was going to do. He kind of wanted to be alone, so taking the main entrance probably wasn't the best idea. Using his incredibly limber stature, he quickly climbed up the tree through use of the moss covered branches of the amazingly old tree.

By the time Rayman had made it to the top, the sun had already begun disappearing behind the faraway mountaintops, laying out a dim blanket of orange and red radiance and barely visible stars. _Sunset_. Rayman looked around to see if anyone else was in his special place at the top of the tree and quickly realized he was alone. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he pulled himself up into the steady, wide branch, and leaned himself up against the tree's trunk. Whenever Rayman was feeling unsure of himself, upset, or stressed, he came up to this spot on the Snoring Tree to relax and think. He had a perfect view of the nearby Gibberish Jungle and even the faraway Sea of Serendipity. Rayman had already been to everywhere in the Glade, so looking at them from the top of the tree brought him back some of his most favorite memories of being there, helping him settle down a bit more than usual depending on what mood he was in.

None of the others could really notice it, but Rayman actually had bits of insecurity and timidity concealed within his joyful smile. It was a secret Ray has been holding for a long time. None of the others could know about it. He didn't want anyone to grant him unnecessary attention that had to go to Bubble Dreamer and keeping Nightmares out of his thoughts. Rayman had to keep himself poised up as a smiling face who was great at telling jokes and making everyone happy. Not a boneless, scared guy who was unsure of himself. He had to be the person the Nymphs had created him to be. A sudden yawn interrupted his thoughts. Rayman was so caught up in thinking he didn't realize that yawn had come from him._ I must be getting tired_. Rayman thought hazily. Upon thinking about his exhaustion, he then felt his eyelids becoming heavy. _After_ _all, my nap during Betilla's speech was at an irregular time... _After just a few seconds more of pondering, Rayman decided to sleep at his favorite spot for the night. After all, the others wouldn't be wondering where he was unless he didn't show up in the morning.

Only about a minute after Rayman stopped contemplating over things and closed his eyes, he was thrust into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	2. Abducted

At just about midnight, a loud shrieking noise shattered the tranquility of the night at the top of the Snoring Tree. Rayman was immediately up onto his feet, assuming a defensive stance with his fists raised.

"Wh-what?! Who's there?!" Rayman shouted, whirling around in all directions, wide-eyed with shock. To his puzzlement, he found nothing and no one. _Just a bird, maybe? No...it couldn't have been... _Rayman narrowed his eyes, studying the skies for anything peculiar. Just when he was about to dismiss the noise as some kind of odd monster that leaked out of the Land of the Livid Dead, a purple and red light of intense brightness tore down the dark sky, letting off a loud, unnatural siren. Rayman couldn't decide whether to cover his eyes or his ears. "uh-aaaAAH-!" Rayman cried, ducking his head and screwing up his eyes against the glare. In an instant, the light shot forward, and Rayman was enveloped in the velvet hue.

Whatever Rayman was sucked into burned his skin all over. It felt like he was plunged into the lavas of the Gourmand Land Infernal Kitchens. _What's happening?! _Rayman thought frantically. His vision was completely dark and he couldn't see anything. He tried to move his hands to feel around where he was, but found himself unable to move at all. He couldn't even try to speak. After a short eternity of paralysis and burning pain, all sensations started to ebb away. Rayman's entire body felt numb, but he discovered he could move about yet again. He looked in all directions and attempted to step forward, only to find his next few movements were almost suspended in slow motion. Before he could reset his foot onto the ground, an invisible ramming force thrust him backward.

"eeYAAH-?!" Rayman screamed, hitting the seemingly non-existent floor. Before he could stand back up again, the air around him suddenly tightened, making it hard for Rayman to breathe. Rayman then shifted all his attention to his crippled ability to respire. _Is this a nightmare...?_ Rayman thought fearfully, his eyes rapidly scanning the black space, searching for a sign. After just a few more moments, the air became so constricted, Rayman couldn't breathe at all. He gasped and choked for a few seconds more before his vision faded to black, and he was driven into a baleful emptiness.

_"Darkness. Only darkness. There is no light or hope. Even if you can trust in one simple mortal's faith and deem them a hero to defeat dark, there is always one of doubt. One who sees every flaw in their every act of concern. Malice is sleeping within them all. The only ingredient needed to awaken it...is fear. Fear is one of the most elusive deceptions ever to be sealed in any mortals' conscience. It is easily masked with arrogance by those whose image is held strong. Deceit is one of the many ways to reveal fear for what it really is. When fear is manipulated, it can become transformed into a weapon. A weapon that can be used to spread Darkness. Only Darkness."_

The words echoed only a few times within the dark hall with a low, nightmarish tone. The room's details were barely visible in the dark, but one with average vision could see the windows were barred with iron slabs and the curtains were worn and scratched. The few paintings that could have remained here were unkempt and peeling off onto the cracked marble floor. At the back of the hall was a wall of utter darkness that no one could see through or dare venture into its depths. Within the darkness was possibly a throne and perhaps a smashed statue or two. From the entrance to the wall of darkness is a long, torn, red carpet that gave a hideously ominous feeling to the already gloomy hall. In the shadows, one could also see two figures.

"Yes...yes, milord. Darkness. Darkness!" Snorted a large, ugly creature with gray skin, a green tunic, a red amulet, and a horn atop his head.

"Baramos! Silence at hall with the master." Ordered another creature who was doubled into a bow at the foot of a ripped, red carpet. The creature had an appearance of blue skin, large, red feathered wings, a long, serpentine tail, and lengthy, devilish claws.

"Y-yes...Dhoulmagus...grrowrr..." Rumbled Baramos, who immediately lowered into a bow to imitate that of Dhoulmagus' posture.

"Cave Devil..." Echoed a voice at the front of the tattered, darkened hall. Dhoulmagus looked up only to view the darkness and two yellow glows at the back of the hall. "You may take your leave of me...I summoned you both, but I now realize I only wish to speak with the Archfiend..." Hoarsely breathed the bodiless voice. Dhoulmagus bowed his head once more, before returning to his talons and exiting the hall.

The creaking of the iron door being shut at Dhoulmagus' leave signaled that Baramos was the only one left in the room with the horrendous being at the end of the hall. "Archfiend..." Snarled the voice, portraying an obvious atmosphere of displeasure in the hidden creature's tone. Baramos looked up. "My words...they mean something to you, do they not..." The creature snarled.

"Y-yes...indeed, my lord...grrrrrrowrr..." Baramos responded, nearly choking on his own words once or twice. "Thy words are very knowledgeable. Thou obviously knows what thy is speaking of...ggrrowr..." The Archfiend finished, his words getting progressively quieter.

"Then tell me...Baramos...why is it that our Vessel of Light has not yet arrived? Our combined powers of our Nine Legacies surely should be enough to open a simple portal to span several dimensions..." The creature mused. Baramos then opened his mouth to speak once more but was interrupted by the creature at the end of the hall. "Or was it your incompetence as a sorcerer failed to combine our powers properly to even scratch the surface of the Rapportal?" The creature hissed.

"M-my Lord...I can assure thou that I have opened a portal to another dimension, I can guarantee thy this Vessel of Light to arrive soon..." Baramos said, attempting to reassure him.

"Fool! Do not equate my intelligence with that of a mere worm such as yourself! If the portal was opened properly, why hasn't a being born of light been summoned?! My patience will soon run out, if it has not already!" The creature bellowed, the yellow glows becoming brighter.

"Gaah...! Do not misunderstand, my lord Mortamor...! To find such a creature takes time and powerful magic! More than one dimension must be spanned to find such a being capable of delivering the proper amounts of power to dispel common darkness! Thine instructions were clear! To capture this creature that holds or hath held magic powerful enough to serve as thine Vessel of Light! Grrrowrrr...!" Baramos cried, clasping his claws over his head, and bowing further to the floor.

A short eternity passed before Mortamor spoke again. "Archfiend...if your words are true..." Mortamor said, his voice barely a growl. "...and this being of light will be as powerful as you say..." Baramos opened his eyes again only to see the yellow glows become brighter, as Mortamor got closer and closer. "I am sending you...and the Cave Devil...to capture it...and bring it to me. However, if this being of light should cause trouble or attempt to stop you...kill it. Even if it is to be lifeless, it will still serve as our Vessel of Light." Mortamor hissed, having fully left the darkness. His appearance was as if his body was a large, floating mask with two demonic yellow eyes, a pair of long black horns, a mouthful of razor sharp teeth and two floating hands. Baramos obviously had horror hiding in his expression.

"Yes, my liege!" Baramos cried, bowing fully onto the floor to hide his fear that Mortamor obviously knew was there.

"Take your leave of me, Archfiend..." Mortamor commanded, waving one floating claw in the air.

"Yes...yes, lord Mortamor..." Baramos said, shakily standing up.

"...and Baramos...do not fail me..." Mortamor growled, his tone filled with malice as an ominous grin crept up his demonic face.

"I shall not fail thou, milord...ggrrowrr...!" Baramos whimpered, quickly opening the iron door and then exiting the spooky hall as fast as he could. Mortamor remained visible for a few moments more before letting out a nightmarish, growling laugh before floating back into the asylum of the darkness, that only a Demon could be at home.

"Darkness...only darkness..."


	3. Archfiend and Cave Devil

The air had become wintry and decayed, and it had chilled Rayman to the bone as the darkness fell away, and the limbless being discovered himself laying on his back, staring up at a gray-tinged red skyline. The ground he was laying on felt sodden, warm, and spongy. He sat up slowly and realized he was sitting on some kind of odd, fleshy ground. It had eyes that blinked every so often and it was almost like the ground was alive. Rayman shook his head with disgust and stood up slowly and scanned the area he was dropped in. It was pretty much this weird flesh earth for as far as he could see until his eyes came to rest on the area south on the horizon. It appeared to be some kind of forest. From his angle he could see there was blood-red grass and leaves on the tree, giving a hint there might be other life here.

Before Rayman started to head there, he took a moment to reflect upon what had just happened to him_. First...I was woken up by some sort of loud noise followed by a crazy bright light. Second...I got sucked up into that light and was thrust into some kind of dark void that made my skin feel like it was on fire. Third...I stopped being able to breathe and blacked out. Last...I've been dropped right here..._ Rayman pondered for a few moments before nearly shouting out loud.

"Wha-what?! Is this some kind of alternate dimension?! Oh no...oh no, no, no! This _can't_ be happening..." Rayman moaned, whirling in all directions, hoping to find something that could reassure him that this wasn't happening, and he hoped this would all fade like a bad dream.

After just a few more moments of hope, Rayman's faith seemingly faded away. Rayman felt ready to break down on the ground and shed tears. After all, there wasn't any of his friends to see it. But that was the worst part about it. No one else was here. This wasn't a bad dream. This was really happening. He didn't know exactly where...but he did know for a fact that this wasn't the Glade of Dreams. Nowhere near the Glade. It was most likely a different dimension.

Rayman once again felt like he was paralyzed. All this happened so fast. It came as a major shock to the limbless being. As a quick exercise to get himself back into the right thinking zone, Rayman closed his eyes and took several deep breaths_._ After only about 20 seconds of this, Rayman did feel better after all. His classic, heroic grin slowly appeared back onto his face and he balled up his hands into fists.

"After all, now I have a goal to achieve! Get back to the Glade. Yep. Here we go." Rayman said, starting to take off towards the forest. "First stop, find out if I'm alone here."

This sudden boost of motivation did not last very long. As Rayman continued on to the nearby woods, he only became more disturbed and frightened by the landscape. There were odd, heart-like lumps that seemed to throb as if they were alive. The whole landscape had an odd, nightmarish, animate feeling to them. _There better not be anything like this in that forest over there...I could lose my lunch... _Rayman thought, rubbing his hands together. As he approached the front of the forest, he saw that the tree cover made the inside of the forest very dark. Facing pitch black darkness head-on wasn't exactly Rayman's specialty. Rayman gulped, then began a short journey to get through the forest and find out if there was anyone else in this psychotic place.

_Funny. It's not as dark in here as it looked from the outside... _Rayman thought. Every few seconds Rayman had to push an image of some kind of scary monster jumping out at him to the back of his mind and think about something else. The grass was shaded a dark red color as well as the leaves of the trees, whose bark was black with swirls of a light purplish color. There was water, too, but it was colored like some sort of glowing purple fluid rather than water. It looked more like poison, in fact. Rayman was starting to have second thoughts about trying to find _other_ creatures here. Chances are they're not friendly.

"This isn't going anywhere. I should just climb up a tree and try to find the end of this dang thing and get out of here." Rayman huffed, stopping next to a tree. Rayman let out a frustrated sigh, then looked the tree he was up against up and down before hopping up in the air and clutching a hold on the tree. He took climbing up the tree slow and steady, as the branches were thin and appeared brittle. When he finally made it to the top, he didn't see anything but red leaves and black bark for a long time in both directions. "Aw, you got to be _kidding_ me!" Rayman shouted out in disgust.

"This is silly. Just thick. I'm up to my eyeballs in weird forests and dumb stuff! Forget it, I'm going." Rayman frowned, starting to climb down. Before he could lower himself down at all, he heard a strange laugh. Like some kind of crazy-sounding cackle right above his head. Rayman was then showered in red feathers from some kind of thing above him. Before Rayman could look up to see what in the world it was, two claws reached down and grabbed him by the shoulders. "W-what the-?! Let go of me!" Rayman screeched, thrashing out with punches and kicks, only to attack open air.

"Hey! Stop moving around down there!" The monster snarled.

After thrashing for a few moments further, Rayman looked up to see what kind of creature he was dealing with. He saw a beast with a blue, humanoid body, two red-feathered wings, and a long tail. "What the actual-?" Rayman said, confusion hinting in his voice. The monster looked down at him, and his facial features revealed pointed ears, short black horns, orange eyes, and a mouthful of fangs. The monster only growled, then reached down to let go of Rayman from his lower talons, then grab Rayman by the feet with his upper claws, which were more like hands. "Wait, no, no, no-!" Rayman shouted as he was held upside-down by the beast.

"Shut up!" Roared the monster.

"Geez, you don't have to be such a grump." Rayman scoffed. _Dang. Well at least I know someone else is here. Not friendly? Check. Now, after he flies over the forest, I'll wait patiently for my opening to spin out and get out of his mucky nails._ Rayman schemed as he watched every bit of the red forest below him become left behind._ Until then, might as well have some fun with this... _Rayman thought mischievously. "So...what exactly are you?" Rayman asked the beast, grinning.

"Silence." Replied the beast.

"Really. That sounds _super_ interesting. Tell me more." Rayman said, no longer looking at the beast, but rather the grounds underneath him.

"Fool! Your insolence will cost you your life!" The beast snarled, baring his fangs.

"My whattity what whatting what what?" Rayman responded, still grinning. In response, the beast stopped moving forward, began to hover, and flung Rayman up in the air, and then reasserted his grip on Rayman so he could stare him in the face and growl at him. "Yikes. You have bad breath, don't ya?" Rayman said, returning the monster's glare with a sneer. The monster then let out a roaring bellow, then raised one claw to attack. _Now's my chance!_ _Get away!_ Rayman thought quickly before extending a hand outwards to punch the monster in the nose.

That minor distraction provided the perfect escape window for Rayman to get away. The monster flung Rayman aside, sending him hurdling in the air, speeding towards the ground. "Ha ha! See ya 'round, sucker!" Rayman mocked as he fell. Upon looking at the rapidly approaching ground, he immediately acted on instinct and he made use of his power to spin his hair as a propeller that was granted to him by the Music Nymph, Holly Luya, and float safely onto the ground. Once he touched down, he brushed off his jacket and looked back up to where the monster had been. To his shock, the monster was no longer there. Rayman would have looked for the beast longer, but a loud crashing sound behind him forced him to turn around.

"Ah ha! I hath finally found thou! ggRRROWRR!" Cried a very large, ugly, gray-skinned beast wearing a green tunic, red amulet, and purple cape.

"What the-?!" Yelled Rayman as he looked the other beast up and down with horror. _Another monster?! Dang it!_

"What took thou so long to finally show up, eh? Alas, t'is too late! grrrowrrrr!" Rumbled the gray monster as he raised one claw up in the air. Rayman followed the monster's movement with his eyes before returning his alarmed gaze back to the gray monster.

"What? What the heck do you mean?!" Rayman retorted. In an instant, the monster's hand was enveloped in flames, and he was seemingly holding a fireball.

"The lord shall not be happy with how late thou is, and he will surely rip thou apart! GRRRRRRROWRRRR!" Snarled the monster before he hurled the flames forward.


	4. Valetta

Before the flames could make contact with his body, Rayman dodged out of the way, only to have to dodge another fireball. "Stop that moving!" The monster ordered, throwing fireball after fireball.

"What the heck is wrong with you, man!?" Rayman called out between dodges. The monster did not respond, but instead opened his mouth to shoot forth jets of flames. "Aaaugh!" Rayman cried as he jumped over the impending wall of orange light and heat. _Looks like I have no choice but to fight!_ Rayman thought to himself. After the monster had finished breathing fire, he stopped moving for just a moment; long enough for Rayman to look him over and determine his weaknesses.

Immediately, Rayman dashed into action. He raced towards the monster with very swift etiquette that he had practiced in the past. The monster then reared up slightly and swung a claw down. Rayman darted out of the way just in time, and the monster ended up getting a clawful of dirt. "Ha ha!" Rayman laughed out loud as he ran behind the monster and up onto his back.

"What art thou doing!? Remove thyself! Grrrowrr!" Burbled the monster, as he reached his claws behind to try and grasp the limbless being off his back. Rayman evaded his attempts, then made it to his head and noticed the horn atop the beast's head. Quickly, he devised a plan to take the monster down. Before he could put his plan into action, the same talons from before grasped him by the shoulders once again.

However, instead of carrying Rayman high into the red sky, they threw Rayman harshly onto the ground. Waves of blunt pain shot through Rayman's entire body. Sensing his own vulnerability, Rayman quickly rolled to the left, which was obviously the right choice, as the instant he did, the winged beast had pierced the ground with his talons right where Rayman had just been. "Dhoulmagus! It's the best time for thy to finally show up! grrowwrr!" The gray-skinned monster snarled at the winged monster.

"Silence, Baramos, you repulsive idiot!" Dhoulmagus snarled in reply as he tried to pry his talons out of the ground.

Rayman looked from Baramos to Dhoulmagus several times with an amused expression before speaking again. "What? You two know each other, huh? That's pretty swee-" Rayman was interrupted by Dhoulmagus suddenly ripping his claws free, dashing forward and slashing diagonally down Rayman's chest, leaving a cruel-looking wound that oozed blood through his jacket. Rayman flew backwards onto the ground with a startled and pain-stricken grunt. He sat up immediately and looked from the fresh wound on his chest back to Dhoulmagus with a terrified expression. _Wh-what just happened?! I don't understand...! What is this oozing from my chest! I've never seen anything like it...! _To increase Rayman's confusion, Dhoulmagus let out another crowing laugh.

"Ha ha ha! You are pathetic. Weak for such an important being of light!" Dhoulmagus mocked before hovering a few inches off the ground, flapping his wings and sending a flurry of feathers flying forth. Rayman evaded them, but as he dashed past them, he saw each and every feather stick into the ground. _Razor sharp feathers?! _Rayman thought, just as an ominous feeling of dread crept into his heart. Quickly pushing it away, Rayman dashed back into action and headed straight for Dhoulmagus, ready for any incoming onslaughts the winged beast might throw his way. He was also keeping an eye on Baramos, who didn't seem to be doing much since Dhoulmagus appeared.

"Baramos! You sordid squander of flesh, act on your own initiative!" Dhoulmagus roared at the gray-skinned beast as he swung his claws back and forth, bent on taking life from Rayman.

Rayman didn't hear Baramos respond, but he heard a sort of hissing noise that must signal fire. Rayman glanced backwards at Baramos, whose claws were up in the air, outstretched, and were holding the biggest fireball Rayman had ever seen. Letting out a small yip, Rayman scrambled to move out of the way to prevent being scorched by the magic fire Baramos was about to hurl his way. Not finding anything to hide behind to avoid the fireball gave him a brilliant idea. Rayman glanced from the fireball to Dhoulmagus and back, and he came up with the perfect solution. "Wait for it..." Rayman whispered to himself, watching each of the monsters equally to prevent being wounded further.

"Prepare to be burnt to a crisp, grrRRROWR!" Baramos rumbled, just before hurling the fireball forward with both hands. As the mini-sun got closer and closer, Rayman could hear Dhoulmagus snarling as he approached him from behind.

"Now!" Rayman commanded himself just before performing a somersault and evading the fireball.

Just as he did, he heard a small explosion followed by roars and screeches of dismay that had to have come from Dhoulmagus. "You brainless, dim-witted, putrid, unsightly IDIOT!" Dhoulmagus spat, thrashing around in the air, visibly pained.

"Thy bird-brained, cave-dwelling, feather-eating, obtuse half-wit! Thou should know not as to stand in thy way of an incoming fireball! Thou shalt know better by now! I just wasted powerful magic on thou! GRROWRRRR-!" Baramos snapped in reply. Seizing this window of opportunity, Rayman resumed his previous plan and climbed up the back of Baramos while he was busy bickering with Dhoulmagus. He climbed up onto his head, grabbed a hold of the gray monster's horn and pulled his head back. "Imperceptive-! What is thou doing?! Impede thyself or suffer thy deathly consequences!" Baramos commanded, swinging his claws around futilely.

Rayman simply ignored the beast, and used his stature to pull the monster back, then suddenly jerk him forward to knock him off his feet. Just as Rayman planned, the overweight monster tripped over himself and fell down onto his belly so he could not stand back up. The gray monster roared in mutiny, but was completely powerless now.

"How dare thy!? I am the Archfiend King and Wizard Baramos! GrrrooOOWR!" The monster shrieked.

"Yeah? Well I'm Rayman!" He retorted.

"Rayman-?!" Baramos questioned, immediately interrupted by Rayman, who knocked the Archfiend out cold with a hop onto his ugly gray head. Dhoulmagus, still thrashing about, flapped his wings heavily and sent forth more razor sharp feathers. Rayman quickly dodged them, but he felt himself becoming much fainter. As the sensation worsened, the pain in his wound did as well.

_No...don't black out...be the person the Nymphs created you to be..._ Rayman thought, clutching his wound with one hand and dashing towards the raging winged beast. As Rayman approached Dhoulmagus, he studied the monster hastily and determined what would make him vulnerable to Rayman's attacks. Then he remembered how angry he got when Rayman kept bugging him. _That's it!_ Rayman thought, dashing around the monster to get within his best earshot.

"Hey, rot-claw!" Rayman called out to Dhoulmagus, cupping his hands around his mouth. Dhoulmagus froze, then turned his extremely angry glower towards Rayman. "Take a bath! You reek!" Rayman taunted, flashing a mischievous grin. Dhoulmagus let out a raging roar of pure fury in response; exactly what Rayman wanted him to do. Dhoulmagus then flew up in the air, and came spiraling down; claws outstretched, and fangs bared.

Rayman watched very carefully, waiting for his mark to evade and then strike. Once Dhoulmagus was barely a foot away, Rayman performed a back flip, and kicked upwards at the same time, hoping he hit the mark on the exact correct time. To Rayman's relief, he uppercut Dhoulmagus square in the face, and ended up knocking him backwards.

"GRRAAH!" Dhoulmagus howled, leaving a long skid trail where he had been rocketed backwards. Seeing another opportunity, Rayman darted forward, grabbed the Cave Devil by his tail, then swung him off of the horizon. Dhoulmagus bellowed out a raging roar all the way until Rayman couldn't see or hear him anymore. Not realizing his own strength, he threw Dhoulmagus a lot further than he anticipated, but no harm was done. At least it would be awhile before he would show up again. If he wanted to, that was.

Only after Rayman had stepped around Baramos, who was still out cold, did he realize the unbearable pain in his chest. His movements became slow and his vision became foggy almost to the point where he couldn't see at all. Rayman's body began to shiver and he eventually had to prop himself up against a tree and slide down onto the ground. Breathing heavily, he pressed a hand up against his wound and inhaled sharply with pain. Once he removed his hand, he saw his glove was now stained with dark red blood. Gasping at the sight, he quickly set his hand onto the already red grass. "I-I don't understand...this has never happened before..." Rayman said to himself, his voice now hoarse and shaky. "I-I wasn't bubblized like normal...what...what's happening to me...?" Just as Rayman's vision began to go black, he saw a distant flicker of luminosity.

As Rayman's vision dwindled, he saw the light becoming brighter and brighter until the light blinked out almost as quickly as it had came, and he could no longer see anything but darkness. _Is this it...? Am I...? No...I'm still thinking...then what is happening...?_ Rayman heard his own words echoing inside his head. When he opened his eyes again, he seemed to be floating within a black void of nothing. He pressed his hand against his chest and felt the wound was gone. Rayman glanced around, hoping to find something that would provide answers but only saw blackness. Then, the same light from before reappeared inside the void, shining coldly like a star.

"You...you are different than the others..." Echoed a soft voice throughout the emptiness. Rayman stared at the light for a short eternity, seriously doubtful that the voice had just came from it.

"Uh..." Rayman cogitated, raising an eyebrow.

"Your name?" The voice inquired. "Rayman..." Answered Rayman hesitantly.

"You...are a being of light...are you not...?" The voice murmured.

"I-I guess..." Rayman responded unsurely.

"Yes...indeed...you and I...we both share a similar quality. Both destined to dispel darkness and raise light. My name is Valetta. The purest and only source of light within Rappurturne. At least until you came..."

"Rappa what what?" Rayman questioned.

"Rappruturne is the parallel dimension in which you have been abducted. A portal had just recently been opened that must have taken you here." Valetta explained.

"So...if you're Valetta...where are you?" Rayman questioned, looking all around the void.

"Right in front of you." Valetta said. Rayman stared at the light once more.

"Oh...so you're like...formless or something?" Rayman asked.

"Yes. Now, Rayman. You must return to the animate plane. I sense that you hold great power. It was no coincidence that you were the only one summoned through the Rapportal. If you are to escape this dimension, you must track down the source of the dark power here. I would have myself, but I have suffered great power loss in the past and have been sealed to this place." Valetta elucidated.

Rayman nodded. "That makes sense. Do you know where I might be able to...uh...find it?" Rayman asked.

"I will keep with you the entire time, guiding you even as I am not inherently there. If I was not eternally sealed to this place, I would accompany you, speaking to you within your conscience. Alas, I cannot. As an alternative, whilst you have been here, I have created a Blameless Silhouette in your likeness. He will guide you in my place. It is quite possible that we will speak again...while you dream if it is possible in this land. Take heed, Rayman, for I sense a great evil growing in the distance..." Valetta finished, fading into nothing as she spoke on.

"A blameless...silhouette...?" Rayman whispered to himself in a puzzled tone, looking down. As he looked back up, he saw the light had died out. "V-Valetta...?" Rayman called out. His voice echoed, but once it made its way back to him, it was twenty times louder, and it seemed to rip the space apart. Then, all at once, the cacophony died out, and Rayman was thrust into darkness once more.


	5. Your Punishment

_Oh dear...Lord Mortamor is going to be so irate with me. Thy wilst most indefinitely take my horn as a trophy. Or perhaps as a reminder of the day I failed to capture the being of light. Oh, how that being of light was a powerful one. Much more powerful than I had ever been able to anticipate. Clever, thy was. Bringing thou in would certainly be a test._

Baramos had been thinking to himself his entire traipse back to the 9th Lair. He hadn't seen or heard anything of Dhoulmagus since he awoke, and the only clue given to the gray-skinned Archfiend was the lengthy trench in the ground, meaning the Cave Devil must be fuming now, and Baramos wasn't going to be the one to be in his way when he got back. Just as Baramos finally completed his long trek back to the haunting castle that housed their Demon Lord, the door opened before he could set a claw on it. The creature who emerged was a sickly dark green, with two short arms that ended in four claws, two outstretched legs that ended in bird-like talons, and his body seemed to be covered in a natural armor that had spikes on his knee and elbow bends.

The most disturbing thing about this monster was his face. He had a gaping mouth full of fangs, two eyes with one other eye right on his forehead with two long horns right about it. Just below this face was another, lower on his body. This face had similar eyes, and another mouth full of fangs. Once this monster saw Baramos, a grin crept onto both of the faces, who seemed perfectly in time with each other.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Baramos. We were just looking for the likes of you." The monster snorted with two voices talking at the same time in perfect sync; the top face low-pitched, the bottom face high-pitched.

"Psaro! What is thou doing here? Thou should be at thine own Lair! Why hath thou travelled so far? Grrrowrr..." Baramos snarled, clenching his toothless maw.

"Summons from the Lord. You expected something less? We're not as foolish as you think, Archfiend. He had just sent us to find you. How convenient of you to simply fall into our clutches." Psaro said, a growling laugh rumbling in the back of both his throats.

"Summons for the both of us, eh? Hmph. So be it, Psaro. Grr..." Baramos grunted, stepping forward. Psaro stepped out of the way in one unbalanced motion, and followed Baramos as he stepped in. Once again, Baramos felt himself sauntering through the gloomy hall of Mortamor with Psaro close behind. Baramos pushed open the iron door, and to his surprise, Mortamor was out in the open this time, and upon hearing their entrance, the Demon snapped his yellow gaze upon them, and in one quick motion, was once again enveloped in shadow. Psaro immediately brought himself onto his knees, keeping his balance with his hands pressed against the ground. Baramos did the same.

"Archfiend...where is the Cave Devil...?" Mortamor snarled, anger in his voice.

"My lord, I have not seen or heard from Dhoulmagus since I had awoken from my slumber." Baramos answered, hiding the shivers in his voice.

"Your...slumber...?" Mortamor questioned.

"Yes, my lord. We had met up with the being of light, and he was a formidable foe, indeed. Nor I or Dhoulmagus could have bested him." Baramos informed.

"Was it that, or was it your triviality and slow nature prevented you from incarcerating it?!" Mortamor snarled. Baramos shrank back, but continued to speak.

"N-no, my lord Mortamor. He was quick and clever. Nearly impossible for my magic to inflict him..." Baramos murmured.

"Enough! I will no longer hear your excuses! You have failed me, Archfiend! Have silence now or face a much menacing penalty rather than what I already have intended!" Mortamor commanded.

Baramos let out a barely noticeable whimper, then bowed his head and halted all movement. Mortamor stared at the discouraged Archfiend a few moments more before shifting his intimidating stare onto Psaro. "Ogre King..." Mortamor said, his tone much less angry. Psaro's faces looked up.

"Yes, master?" He spoke.

"Since the Archfiend and Cave Devil proved to be much too incompetent in imprisoning the being of light, I am assigning you to take their places." Mortamor explained, authority in his voice. Psaro responded with a respectful nod. "Should you fail me, Psaro...a fate similar to that of Baramos shall be imposed upon you..." Mortamor spoke grimly.

"You shall not be disappointed, our lord Mortamor..." Psaro responded.

"Take your leave now..." Mortamor said, and even in the darkness one could hear that he had waved one of his floating hands across the space in front of him. Psaro stood up, then left the room, slamming the iron door loudly.

A few moments passed before Mortamor spoke again. "Archfiend...step forward...into the darkness..." Mortamor spoke gruffly. Baramos slowly rose up again, then stepped forward so that he was standing directly in front of the wall of darkness. Before Baramos could question what he was to do next, Mortamor's hand snapped out of the darkness, seized Baramos' claw and spread his claws wide so that the Archfiend's palm was exposed, then drew a demonic glyph upon the gray skin of the Archfiend. The glyph glowed with a ghastly aura that smoldered dimly then became as dark as night. Baramos let out a hurt howl, then was thrust backwards by Mortamor, nearly forcing him onto the floor.

"Take your leave of me, now...your punishment has been carried out. From this day forward...your life narrowly hangs in the balances of time. Should you fail me again...this glyph will tip you off the scale, and you will be plunged into a hellish void of suffering that will never end." Mortamor snarled.

Baramos, whose face was stricken with pain, left the room, holding his hand in his other claw.


	6. Xavier, the Blameless Silhouette

"She...she summoned a...Blameless Silhouette...what...what's a..." Rayman talked in his sleep, clawing at the air with his armless hands. "It's a...a...what is it...?" Rayman murmured before opening his eyes quickly and scanning everywhere around him frantically. "What!? Where...where am I?!" Rayman shouted, sitting up with his fists raised. His breathing quickly calmed down, and his fear ebbed away when he realized he was sitting at the exact spot where he had blacked out after his fight with Baramos and Dhoulmagus. He realized he must have been asleep a long time, because the blood that stained the grass a deeper claret beneath him had long since dried.

Seeing the blood reminded Rayman that Valetta had never told him what it was. It also reminded him of his wound. Looking down at his chest proved what Rayman halfway already knew. His dream in which he had met Valetta had healed his wound, and it's only remnant was the tear in his jacket. Now Rayman knew he had to be much more careful. The physics of the Glade obviously didn't work here. Rayman stood up slowly and dusted a few blades of grass of his jacket.

"Let's see...what did she say...I have to track down the source of the dark energy or something like that so I can get home. What else...oh yeah, and she's gonna be following me with some kind of Blameless Silhouette. So like an innocent shadow or something? Whatever the heck that is. Anyway, I'd better get going if I'm going to-" Rayman cut himself off early at the sight of what he had come face-to-face with once he had turned around. Rayman was staring into the face of another Rayman.

"AAAGH! WHAT THE-?!" Rayman shrieked, jumping backwards with his fists raised once again. The other Rayman did not respond, but only tilted his head to the side. This Rayman was slightly transparent, had darker shades around his eyes, and had a triangle printed on his sweatshirt rather than a circle. Other than that, he and Rayman were exactly identical.

"Alright, alright...what did she say about the Blameless Silhouette...um...it would be created in my likeness...wait, that's it! This is the thing she sent to watch over me!" Rayman exclaimed. The other Rayman tilted his head back, keeping an emotionless face. Glancing back over at his clone made his smile disappear into a look of pondering.

"Well. I'm Rayman. How about yourself?" Rayman asked. The other Rayman did not answer. "Oh, right. You probably don't have a name, huh? Well, I'm gonna have to give ya a name, aren't I? Mm...let me see...I'd call ya Manray, but that would be too obvious. How about...Xavier!" Rayman said, flashing a happy smile. Xavier stared at him for a few moments before creasing a grin onto his face that flashed his oddly pointed teeth.

"Wow, I don't have those!" Rayman exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at Xavier's teeth. "You must be like part demon or something. I guess that's the shadow in Blameless Silhouette." Rayman shrugged. Xavier's grin slowly disappeared and he returned to his neutral, emotionless gaze.

"Do you talk?" Rayman questioned, looking Xavier up and down. Xavier didn't answer. "I'm gonna guess no? Do you know how to talk?" Rayman said, raising one eyebrow. Once again, no answer came from the oddly hushed being. Thinking for a moment, Rayman raised both his hands in the air, just to observe Xavier's reaction. Xavier mimicked Rayman's motion, to not surprise Rayman at all. Smiling slightly, Rayman lowered his hands, only to see Xavier mirror his action. "Man, this is cool." Rayman said, laughing quietly to himself.

In response, Xavier's body shuddered, and he shook his head smiling. It was almost as if he was laughing, but no sound could be heard from him. Cracking his knuckles and stretching out his hands, Rayman began on his way. "Well, we should probably get moving. Valetta said that we have to find the source of all this craziness and there's a big, loud voice in my mind that keeps saying that they're some kind of weird monsters, and they're probably not gonna welcome us with cookies and milk, so we got to be real careful." Rayman explained. Without response, Xavier quickly caught up to Rayman, keeping close by him. "So...where should we start looking?" Rayman asked, glancing next to him, only to see no one.

"Xave?" Rayman questioned, looking all around for his new comrade. When his eyes noticed the half-shadow, he was staring out at something very far in the distance. From Rayman's point of view, it appeared to be a very lofty, black tower, whose apex was enveloped in a ghastly reddish blue cloud. "Whoa..." Rayman gaped at the sight. Xavier glanced backwards at Rayman with a contemplative gaze. "That's a good starting point. Let's get going, then." Rayman said, turning to head in that direction with Xavier following not far behind.


	7. Abducted Again

_Hee hee...we wonder what happened to Baramos...He probably got it good when the master found out he failed. We will not fail...the master will be very pleased with us...hee hee...Still...we can only wonder what horrendous, excruciating, and gruesome things our master had done to him after he had failed so terribly. Hee hee...either way, that sniveling heap of wasted magic will get what he deserves...But we still wonder what had happened to Dhoulmagus...We grant that we had a steady friendship with the Cave Devil...We hope he shall meet a less grisly fate than Baramos..._

Unaccompanied, Psaro gracelessly hopped along the edges of a path that ran a very long trail from Mortamor's lair to where Baramos and Dhoulmagus had been thrashed by the light being. He figured the being had begun to head this way, giving him a perfect opportunity for an ambush. Psaro had planned to knock out the being, snatch him up and drag him back to his own castle to present upon Mortamor when he arrived. Grinning to himself, the Binary Ogre King felt he was far enough from the Lair to be nearby the light being whenever he would show up, and stumbled away from the path to find some sort of cover where he could easily ensnare this being. Surely he wasn't as dangerous as Baramos had said. His victory against the Archfiend and Cave Devil was surely a fluke, merely a misguided fortune.

Scanning his five different eyes over the blood-red landscape, the Ogre King crouched low, well out of sight of any passing by creatures.

_He won't escape _our_ clutches..._

_Rayman's P.O.V_

"Rising up...back on the streets. Took my time, took my chances. Went the distance now I'm back on my feet. Rising up with the will to survive. And the...eye of the tiger with the strength of the right, rising up to the challenge of our rivals. And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night, and he's watching us all with the eyyyye-!" Rayman sung as he walked, pointed at Xavier as a sort of signal that it was his turn to finish the verse. Xavier only gave Rayman a puzzled look, as if he thought Rayman was crazy. "Dang it, Xave. You're not very musical, are ya?" Rayman sighed. Xavier shook his head. Rayman frowned at Xavier for a few moments more before finishing the verse on his own. "Of the tiger! Woo!" Rayman shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. Xavier rolled his eyes. Letting out a jaded sigh, Rayman let his hands fall back to his armless sides. "Man, it really screws up the flow when that happens." Rayman said. Xavier gave him a skeptical look in response.

"Alright, alright. I'll come up with a new song. Let's see...it's called..." Rayman said, freezing at the sight of something ahead. "It's called the mysteriously large pile of green bushes over there." Rayman said, tilting his head slightly. Xavier gave him an alarmed look, as if now he actually thought Rayman had gone insane. "No, seriously! Look!" Rayman whispered, pointing forward. Xavier shifted his gaze in the direction Rayman was pointing and saw what he was talking about. Just a few feet from the path, laying in the blood red grasses was a mass of green; like some sort of very healthy shrub. Xavier raised an eyebrow, glancing back at Rayman with disbelief. "Yeah, I get that it's not actually a bush, captain obvious." Rayman huffed, meeting Xavier's dubious stare with a frown.

"Just don't you think that's kinda odd? Maybe we should go check it out." Rayman whispered, walking forward slowly. Xavier rolled his eyes once more, shaking his head. "What's your problem? We just have to be careful." Rayman said, glancing backwards at Xavier. Rayman slowly crept forward, approaching the mass of green with concealed movement with Xavier doing the same. Once Rayman got close enough, the green object appeared to be something that was alive. It had spines, and Rayman was pretty sure it had claws, although they seemed to be hidden. Whatever this thing was, it was obviously trying to hide itself. Rayman glanced back at Xavier with amazement. Once Rayman returned his gaze to the creature, it had five eyes that were open and staring at him. "GAAH!" Rayman shouted, stumbling backwards. "Gra ha ha ha! We've found you at last!" The monster cackled. "W-we?!" Rayman questioned through a voice of fear. The monster then heaved itself onto its feet, and Rayman saw the monster had two faces, one at its normal place, but another smack dab in the middle of its body. He had two arms that ended in long, sharp talons, horns on his shoulders and head, and the two mouths that he had were full of fangs.

The monster's eyes studied Rayman for a moment, before he let out another laugh. "Ha! So you're this so-called being of light, eh? You don't look like much to us!" The monster snarled with two voices speaking at the same time. "Well at least I know how to hide properly!" Rayman quickly retorted. This obviously threw the monster off-guard, because the haughty look on his faces was quickly obliterated. "Now, who are you?" Rayman questioned. The monster opened and closed his mouths for a moment before he spoke again. "Who are we? You wish to know _our_ names? So be it. Last thoughts are important, we suppose. We are the Manslayer and Binary Ogre King, Psaro! Bane of the weak! Devourer of the pitiful!" The green monster snarled, rearing up slightly. "Great to meet ya! Now what the heck do ya want?" Rayman questioned, hinting sarcasm in his voice. "That is not important! We are taking you with us! Alive or dead!" Psaro screeched, suddenly reaching his claws forward to try and seize Rayman.

Quickly dodging the monster's attack, Rayman then noticed Xavier wasn't around. "Aw, no, now where did he go?" Rayman groaned, looking everywhere for the half-shadow. "Come back here!" Psaro roared, opening his mouths and firing forth a wave of freezing cold ice breath. Rayman, too busy looking for Xavier to notice the incoming ice attack, took the hit, and was blown backwards. Rayman tried to stand up, but found parts of his body were frozen by the attack. In the next few seconds, he helplessly watched Psaro descend upon him and deliver a blow with the back of his hand that sent Rayman spiraling into darkness.


	8. Psaro's Castle

Rayman awoke to the sound of screeching, probably coming from bats. When he opened his eyes, he didn't see much of anything that he didn't see when he had his eyes closed. The room he was in was poorly lit, and he could barely see anything. Rayman could faintly remember being struck with a wall of freezing cold air, then being knocked out by Psaro. Shaking himself out of his daze, Rayman stood up, and found he was in a cage hanging from a tall ceiling. Psaro must have taken him here after he had knocked Rayman unconscious. Rayman stepped forward and grasped the bars and shook them firmly. Rayman tried several times and gave up, realizing they weren't going to budge. Peering past the bars, Rayman could see that the cage wasn't the highest cage in the room. There were at least five others above his. Looking down, Rayman could see the ground was far away, and the area below was lit with several torches.

Looking around reminded him that he still didn't know where Xavier was. "Xavier?" Rayman whispered, straining his ears for any kind of reply. "Xavier...?" Rayman whispered again. Nothing could be heard in response. "Xave..." Rayman sighed, nearly giving up. Then, he heard some chains jingling just above him. Looking up at the cage above him, Rayman saw two dimly glowing eyes. "Xavier! There you are!" Rayman said happily, a smile flashing on his face. Xavier gave a slight smile in response, but otherwise looked very forlorn. "Hang on just a minute, I'll get ya out of there, buddy." Rayman promised, looking around his cage for its weakness. Remembering past experiences back at the Glade, Rayman raised his fists and relentlessly began punching the bars. After only a few moments of this, several of the bars gave way, opening a small hole in the cage from which Rayman could escape.

Using his limber stature, Rayman broke out of the opening in the bars, then immediately grabbed the outside of the cage to avoid falling to his death on the hard, stone floor of the prison. Rayman then climbed on top of the cage and took hold of the chain keeping the cage suspended. Xavier continued to watch Rayman as he approached. Rayman climbed up the chain as high as he needed to be, then pushed off to glide onto Xavier's. Once he got to the half-shadow's cage, he saw that he was locked up much more secure than Rayman. He had a thick metal ring around his body that had several chains leading from the ring to the bars of the cage, and each of his hands were both locked into a sort of block that had chains leading to the bars of the cage as well. Xavier was tied up like some sort of animal.

"Oh, Xavier...why did they do this to you, huh?" Rayman sighed sadly, pulling the door off the cage and swinging himself inside. Rayman pulled on the chains and found they were quite a bit sturdier than the bars were, making it more of a challenge to get them off. Using as much strength as he could muster, Rayman pulled each and every one of the chains off the metal ring that was tightened around Xavier's body. After removing those chains, he moved on to the chains attached to the blocks on his hands. Luckily, those chains were less thick, and Rayman could pull them off without using all of his force. After the chains were gone, Xavier could handle the rest. He bent the metal ring outward, so as to make it large enough for him to escape, and slammed his hands together to smash the blocks into bits. Stretching out his fingers, Xavier gave a much happier smile to Rayman, showing gratitude.

"There ya go, bud. You're out. Now we got to figure out how to get out of this crazy town." Rayman said, looking around the prison. Looking down, Rayman saw it was a long fall down to the floor. "Yeesh...first things first, find out how to get down." Rayman shuddered. Xavier thought for a moment before jumping up on top of the cage and starting to climb up the chain. "Do you got something, Xave?" Rayman called after him. Xavier didn't stop climbing until he reached the top of the chain, then struck the odd mechanism attaching the chain and the ceiling. Immediately, the chain was released, and the cage plummeted downwards. "AAGH!" Rayman shouted out, falling downward with the cage. With a thunderous clatter of metal, the cage hit the floor with Rayman perfectly unharmed. Xavier slid all the way down the chain and landed just next to the heap of crushed metal bars.

"Thanks a lot for the warning, Xave." Rayman huffed sarcastically, shakily climbing out of the smashed cage. Xavier shot a joking smile at him in response. Brushing himself off, Rayman quickly strode up to stand next to Xavier, scanning the area. The room was very dark, and the ceiling was dripping some sort of red liquid that felt hot to the touch; almost like lava. All the other cages were empty. "Well, I don't even know where this place is, so who knows how far off our course we are." Rayman said. Xavier nodded in reply. "Wherever we are, we're probably not going to get out of here without a fight, so stay ready." Rayman said, leaving the room.

Xavier nodded twice, then quickly caught up. The rest of the lair was very similar to the prison room. It was poorly lit, unkempt, and above all, the unmistakable stench of death lingered in the stale air. "Blech, haven't they ever heard of scented candles?" Rayman spat in disgust. Xavier appeared scarcely bothered. Rayman and Xavier walked through vacant corridors for what had felt like forever, only to find themselves wandering in circles. "Aw come on! I'm getting very fed up with staring at these blank walls! We're not getting anywhere!" Rayman huffed, pacing back and forth. Xavier tilted his head as a way of hinting that he didn't have any ideas either. As soon as he leaned to the side, something nearby must have caught the half-shadow's attention, judging by how rapid he dashed to another wall. "What? What did you find, bud?" Rayman questioned, noticing his ally's unnatural movement.

Xavier didn't respond at first, but after a few moments, he looked back at Rayman with a smile, then stepped aside to reveal a window. This window had brittle-looking bars and was small, but just large enough for Rayman and Xavier to fit through. "But won't we fall and hit the ground? That seems like it would be dangerous..." Rayman said uneasily. Xavier shook his head, then gestured for Rayman to come forward. Rayman did as Xavier instructed and looked outside to see where exactly they had been taken. Outside, Rayman saw a massive lake of lava surrounding the prison building with a bridge extending across it to the other side. There was a very tall fence all the way around the outsides of the prison, kind of like a prison yard. The only way to get past the fence was to get through a long building and exit through the main gate.

"Oh man. This looks fun." Rayman groaned unenthusiastically. Looking straight down from the window, Rayman saw the ground wasn't too far away, and the gate leading into another prison was left wide open. From anyone's perspective, one could see that the prison lead straight into the long building that led to the bridge. Exactly where they needed to go. "Geez, Xave, you must have eyes for finding stuff, huh?" Rayman said, glancing back at the half-shadow. Xavier shrugged in response. "Well, how do we get down there?" Rayman questioned, backing away from the window. Xavier's body quivered in response, as if he had just sighed in slight annoyance. Then, Xavier stepped forward, raised a fist, punched out the bars, then jumped out. "W-whoa!" Rayman exclaimed in dismay, running to the window to see what had become of his friend.

To his relief, Xavier had landed perfectly safe on the ground in the prison yard, and was looking up at Rayman with a look that shouted _like that, genius_ out loud. Rayman frowned down at him. "Show off." Rayman grunted, climbing out of the window, then slowly descending down the wall. Once Rayman had reached the ground, the unusually dry sensation under his shoes caused him to realize that the whole jail was resting on a very flat, volcanic rock that was floating in the middle of the lava lake. In the few seconds it took Rayman to examine the landscape, Xavier had disappeared. "What the-? Xavier! Where are you off to, now?" Rayman called out, searching for the Half-Shadow. Letting out an annoyed groan, Rayman stomped on, investigating where Xavier had gone. Once he finally found him, the Half-Shadow was eagerly standing in the empty hall of the prison hall that led to the ominous long building.

"Xavier, you have to stop doing that." Rayman huffed, tapping one foot in intolerance. In response, Xavier sulked slightly. "Which reminds me, where the heck where you when we got attacked by that big green thing?" Rayman questioned, narrowing his eyes. Xavier opened his mouth, as if he were going to say something, but only ended up displaying his fangs for a moment or two before closing his mouth again. Instead, the Half-Shadow pondered a moment before kneeling to the ground and engraved a sloppily written _find_ in the dirt. "Find? Find what?" Rayman asked, tilting his head. In response, Xavier moved to a different spot of dirt and slowly wrote _power_. "Power? Xavier, I don't know what that's supposed to mean." Rayman said, shaking his head. Xavier stood up and rolled his eyes in response. "Just...just stop. I don't care anymore. We're safe now, and that's what's important. Now we just have to worry about getting out. Sound good?" Rayman said, sounding a tad bit stressed out. Xavier nodded once.

"Great. Glad to hear it. C'mon. But this time, stay close to me, alright?" Rayman said, starting on into the prison building. This building was in slightly better condition than the one Rayman was kept in. There was more than one torch, making the rooms and hallways not as dark, and there wasn't any more of that hot liquid dripping from the ceiling. The only problem was that this prison had inmates. Some of the monsters in here were some of the most gruesome Rayman had ever seen. There were strange snake monsters that had extra limbs and had more eyes than it probably needed, giant bugs that looked like they had parts sewn onto them, and even rat looking things with small wing appendages that were lying in pools of green and purple slime. Rayman tried desperately not to be sick and black out, but he felt nearing that point. Xavier must have noticed, because he was attempting to hurry him along out of the jail halls.

The uneasy feeling Rayman was thrust into was a major surprise. In his homeland, the Glade of Dreams, most things were dealt with humanely, and there was rarely violence involved. Prisons and instruments of torment were unheard of in the land of peace, even in the darkest reaches, the Land of the Livid Dead, were dilemmas dealt with somewhat rationally. This was a complete swap of worlds, logic, physics and ideals that Rayman was having to deal with. After what felt like a century, Rayman and Xavier had finally reached the end of the hall, only to come face to face with an ill-omened steel door. "This must be it. Where that 'Psaro' lives." Rayman said, looking the door up and down. Xavier gave no response. "Alright. Ok. Are you ready?" Rayman questioned, taking a deep breath. Xavier nodded. In response, Rayman nodded, inhaled once more, then steeled his courage and pushed the door ajar.

Inside the oddly elongated building was a hall that was well lit through use of glowing stones that hung from the ceiling as well as two thin rivers of lava that ran through the hall to the farthest left and right alongside the wall. The room had a red carpet that stretched all the way to the back of the hall and met a very large, green cushioned throne that appeared old to some extent as well as well worn. Sitting atop the throne was the ugly, green monster, Psaro, who appeared startled through and through. "What? How did you..? We had you both locked up! Especially that one there! Your demon friend!" Psaro exclaimed, jumping up off his throne with a sort of struggling movement. "Hey, man. Don't call my friend a demon, alright?" Rayman retorted, flashing a grin at the Half-Shadow.

"Hmpf. So be it. Be that as it may, your friend is of course a demon. He is not to be taken lightly, as we know. Either way, we will make quick work of you. After all, Lord Mortamor's plan will work with only your carcass." Psaro growled, easily dismissing Rayman and Xavier's escape. "What? Who the heck is Mortamor?!" Rayman questioned, balling his fists on instinct. "That information is not important to you. Now, if your friend were to be kind enough to step aside...after you are dead, he will be a worthy ally to us...now...PREPARE TO DIE!" The Manslayer shrieked, launching out a double wall of ice breath and fire breath. Remembering what happened last time, Rayman quickly dodged out of the way of the incoming elemental attacks.

"Alright, Xavier, time to-" Rayman trailed off, realizing that Xavier was no longer by his side. "What? Xavier! I told you not to..." Rayman froze, seeing his friend dash straight at Psaro. The Manslayer let out a roaring laugh, obviously not worried of whatever the Half-Shadow was about to do, and raised a claw to attack. Before the Ogre King could, Xavier had lashed out with a very peculiar force that made Rayman's jaw drop with awe. The Half-Shadow had reached out a hand cloaked in an indigo aura that appeared to fit around Xavier's hand like a glove with pointy ends; just like claws. The slash that Xavier inflicted seemed to leave a tear in space just in front of the Ogre King that quickly vanished.

In recoil, the green beast let out a deafening shriek and backed up, his claws over his top face. "X-Xavier!? How did you-?!" Rayman exclaimed. In response, the Blameless Silhouette turned his head back to glance at Rayman, only to reveal that his eyes had become the same color as the energy around his hands, and his pupils seemed to have disappeared. "Find power? Is this what you meant?" Rayman asked, a smile quickly appearing on his awe-stricken face. Returning Rayman's smile, Xavier nodded twice, then turned around to face the Ogre King, who had recovered. "Agh! You annoying pest! How dare you interfere!" Psaro snarled, two of his eyes scratched and closed. Xavier raised one eyebrow and gave a mischievous grin in response making him seem a lot like Rayman rather than anything else.

"So be it! You have chosen your fate!" Psaro bellowed before lunging forward with anything else but speed and reaching out his claws to deliver two heavy blows aimed at taking out Xavier. The Half-Shadow quickly dodged the slow attacks with speedy finesse and landed just besides Rayman. While the Manslayer was busy searching for Xavier, the duo had a short time to discover the monster's weaknesses. "Alright. See how he's really unbalanced? We have to use our speed to confuse him then knock him down. Understand?" Rayman whispered quickly. Xavier gave a nod. "Good. Now, come on!" Rayman shouted, dashing forward with his fists raised and Xavier beside him.

Psaro did not move, but instead lifted his claws high above his head, then sent them forward, emitting a flash brighter than the setting sun. Spellbound by the dazzling light, Rayman had been struck blind by the spectacle. Rayman fell back, ducking his head against the glare to prevent being dazzled further, but by the sound of Psaro's screeching, Xavier must have continued the assault, despite his sightlessness. Unless of course Xavier had resisted. Then, an evil laugh stuck cold fear into Rayman that gripped his heart. Could Xavier have been overwhelmed by the monster? There was no way to tell. Then, an angry howl and a low droning sound reassured him. All at once, Rayman's vision returned, and he was met with the display of Xavier commanding a unearthly pair of cruel-looking scissors that were enveloped in the same power that surrounded Xavier's hands.

The Half-Shadow's eyes were glowing ominously, and he was waving his hands about to control the ghastly scissors. "How is this possible?! You should not be able to use shadow powers! You are only half!" Psaro roared, rearing up and slamming both claws down. Xavier dodged, and gave him an _as a matter of fact_ look. This obviously made Psaro very angry. The Manslayer Ogre King let out a bellowing roar that shook the entire hall, and began to swing his claws at anything close enough. The monster had become careless. "Great going bud, now's our chance to attack. Together." Rayman whispered. Xavier smiled. Rayman hesitated a moment before dashing forward and reaching out his hands to grasp Psaro by the leg. Xavier did the same on the other side of the monster. Together, the duo combined their strengths and lifted Psaro off his feet then quickly dropped him, knocking him onto his back with a mighty crash.

"EEEEERYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Psaro wailed. Rayman stepped up onto the monster's face, well out of reach of his claws and teeth, then stared him right into his third eye on his forehead. "For future reference, don't trap guys like us in cages anymore." Rayman said smugly, before raising a fist above his head, and bringing it back down to knock the monster out cold, as he had did with Baramos before. "Whew. That was a lot of fun, now wasn't it? Not a scratch on me." Rayman wheezed, looking himself over for grazes that might have come from the Binary Ogre King's claws. Xavier stood motionless and dignified. "God dang. I am drained right now." Rayman sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily. Xavier glanced at him, looking curious. "Well, let's get out of this castle so we can get some rest." Rayman said, leaving the hall with Xavier close behind.


End file.
